Means for uniting concrete reenforcements



Nlay 6, 1924. 1,492,756

J. C. SHEPHERD MEANS FOR UNITING CONCRETE REENFORCEMBNTS Filed Aug. 12. 1921 HIL-raw Inl/enfer' Patented May 6, i924.

JAMES c. SHEPHERD, or ST. LOUIS,fiviissonangnssrsnoa `To LAGLEDE STEEL CoM- Y fPAnY, or sT. Louis, Missouri; A coaromi'rron or MISSOURI..

MEANS non UNITING'c-ONCRETE REENEoacnlvrnn'rs.l

Application mea Agust 12, 1921. seria; No4r=n,7 2:3`.

To all whom t may concern: Y

Be it known that I, JAMEs'C. Sinrrrnim, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State 1 of Missouri, have Hinvented certain` new and Iuseful Improvements in Means or Uniting' Concrete Reenforcements, of which the following is ar full,v clear, and exact description, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification.

This invention relates to iinprovements'in a bar, or rod, crossing the several reinforc.

ing elements.` For example, aVwell'known type ofreenforcement comprises a number of bars located within a long spiral and engaging the inner vfaces of' thefco'ils of the spiral.. These coils should be accurately spaced and securely held to prevent acci-v dental'displacement of the coils relativeto the long bars. y f y K Prior to this invention, the long bars have been placed within'the long spiral, and then secured to the coils of thespiral, yusually by means of numerous individual "attaching devices. These devices are intended to uniformly space the coils and `at the Same time secure them to 'the long bars.. Ob-l viously, considerable` time is required to properly `assemblefa-A veryl large number,- ofindividual, attaching devices, and this is especially true of the old methods which involve the operations of arranging the long bars within the spiral beforefthelattachf ing devices are 'applied to thereenforcement.

The new spacing device is preferablyx'pro videdwith a row" of'open loops adapted to receive the coils of apspiral, so the .spacing device'can be easily and quickly applied to the spiral. Y a row# of alined eyes through which 'the long bar visins'erted, and4 after the bar 'hasbeen applied to the spacer, it closes "theopen loops to yconfine .the coilsl in said loops. VTo prevent displacement,- a few of the eyes I coils. ple'tely surround the barpfor the bar yis mere- The spacing device also hasy `can be hammered,`contracted, or otherwise acted upon togrip the bar.

A further object is to produce a simple i spacing device of this kind adapted to be made of inexpensive lightzwiraand having its elements arranged toeffectiv'ely prevent accidental displacement of the bar and In the new;dev`ice the eyes can comly inserted throughvthe eyes, and the loops which receive the?v spiral coils can be ex'- tended from the eyesso as to oi'fer maximum resistance to any thrusts tending to separate the coils fromthe bar. 'j

Another object is to produce 'a longspacing device ywith rows of eyes, and loops 'adapted to receive different portions of the reenforcement, and having its elements so arranged that accidental breakage oi, anyv part of the device will not permit to fall apart or release itV fromthe reenforcement This spacing rdevice is Vpreferablyv a single i,

piece of'wi're, and if it is accidentally vbroken A further Objectis to permit'the spiral tov be collapsed, or flattened, 'for shipment as is well understood in this art.

- f with the fOr-@going andjoiher Objects in view,` the' invention comprises the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore specifically described andillustrated in the 'accompanying drawings wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention. `However, it is to beunderstood thatgthe invention comprehends changes, variations afndniodiiica tions which come within; :the

F'gflis na horizontal section throughy af 4at any' point Athroughout its length,` it will i metal reeniforcement 'equipped with a spacing device embodying'ethe features ot this,l

invention.

lll sectln.' j

Fig.` IIlis a fragmentar'y'"side` elevation F V is a horizontal section on the line To aillustrate the invention I have shown spacing devices applied to a metal reenforcenient for a concrete column, and this reenforcement includes a reinforcing member A in the form of a long spiral, and bars B arranged longitudinally ofthe spiral and engagedVV with the inner 'faces of the coils of the spiral. *These coils are accurately spaced apart and secured to the longitudinal bars through themedium of the spacing da vices. Y i

To illustrate this feature of the invention. IIhave shown a number of long spacers,` each comprising a single piece of wire provided with a row of gripping eyes 1 surrounding one of the bars B, and a 'row of spacing elements 2 uniting said gripping eyes, saidY row of spacing elements being arranged longitudinally of the bar, Each spacing element 2 may be provided at Yone of itsends with. an abut-ment loop 3 merg ing Vinto one of the gripping eyes 1, and a U-shaped VVloop 4 at its opposite end merging into and extending from another oi the gripping eyes.

The coils 'of the spiral A are located in the U-shaped loops 4, andE the open sides rof these loops 4 are closed by the longitudinal bars B. Y i

The gripping eyes 1 are preferably in the form of alternating right4 and left coils, and the abutment loopsB are extended from the right and left coils to receive a tightening tool whereby said coils may be tightened on the bars B. Fig. V shows a bar B loosely arranged within one of the gripping eyes 1, and it will be apparent that the abutment loop 3 extending from this eye may be hammered in the direction indicated by the arrow, so as to contract the eyeV 1 on the bar B. y Fig. V illustrates the eye 1 and abutment 3 as they appear before the abutment is hammered to contract the eye, and Fig. I illustrates these; elements as they appear after the abutments 3 have been hammered to contract the eyes. It is not necessary to hammer, or contract, all-of the gripping` eyes 1, forl the spaceris a long piece of wire provided with a number of eyes 1, all oiwhichfare integrally connected together, so if only a few of thesev eyes grip Va bar B, the long spacing device will be securely anchored to prevent slippage of the spacing device on the bar.

It is notdifticult to contract the eyes 1 onto the bars B, for this operation can be performed by an ordinary hammer striking the abutments 3. I therefore recommend that many of these eyes be hammered, or otherwise actedy upon, to grip the bars B, but theseoperationsshould not tend torotate the spacing device around the bar B on which it is mounted. To avoid this,

the gripping eyes 1 are in the form of right and left coils, as previously pointed out, so even if each abutment 3 isstrucl; by a hammer, Vthe spacing wires will not tend to creep entirely around the bars B, When one of the abutments 3 is struck by a hammer, it will tend to turn that portion of Vthe spaeing wire on a bar B, but when the next adjacent-abutment 3 vis struck Yby the hammer, the spacing wire -will tend to turn in the opposite direction. As a consequence, the hammer blows will not materially displace the spacing devices on the bars.

In each spacing device, the eyes 1 are in alinement withV each other, and the loops 4 are also in alinement with each other. loops 4 extend from one side of the spacing device'and the eyes 1 extend from the other side. The loops 4 are open at the side from which the eyesY 1 extend (Fig. IV), and

each eye Il is arranged at approximately a right angie to the loops.

In assembling the reenforcement, a long spacing wire is applied't-o the long spiral A, the coils of the spiral being arranged within the open loops 4 so as to locate the alined eyes 1 inside of the spiral. After thisV has been done, a long bar B is inserted through the alinedreyes 1-V to confine the coils in the U-shaped loops 4, the open sides of Yse The -v said loops being closed by the bar B, as

shown in Fig. IV. Some-*of the gripping eyes 1 may then be contracted, or otherwise actedupon, to grip the bar B.

Since the bars are merely insertedY through the gripping eyes 1 while the reenforcement is being assembled, these eyes can be conveniently made to completely surround a bar B, and this is desirable ou account of the strength and stability of an eye entirely surrounding the bar. VIn the drawings, 'each eye v1 is in the form of a coil having VVlapped ends, so as to entirely surroundv the bar B.

In this new device, the loops 4 which receive the coils ot the large spiral A, can merge into and extend directly from the eyes l-which surround a bar B, and each eye 1 Vmay be provided with a loop 4. By conibiningthe eyes and loops in this manner, each loop 4 cooperates directly with an eye 1 to prevent separation of a bar B and the adjacent spiral coils. For instance, refer to Fig. IV and'assume thatthere are stresses tending to force the spiral A away romthe bar-B. In this event, the spiral A will en gage the loops 4and tend to pull themfrom 'l the bar B, and displacement of thisvkind will be most effectively resisted by the veyes 1 which surround the bar B and merge into the loops 4.

Although it is an advantage to' use an eX- tremelylong spacer made of: a single piece of wire, in some cases itis desirable to use several of the spacersv onthe same barfB',

and; in: this event the, spacerslean be con,-y

a finger 7 and pass through the hook 6 of an adjacent spacer. `The adjacent spacers are thus securely interlocked with each other.

This invention is based upon new features not disclosed in an application for patent tiled by me on August 19, 1921, Serial No.

493,541, which contains claimsbroad enough ii` to cover the spacing device herein described.

I claim: l. In a spacing device adapted to secure longitudinal bars to encircling elements, a

therewith, said spacing elements being pro vided with loops for the reception of said encircling element-s, said gripping eyes being in the forni of alternating right and left coils and said spacing lelements being provided with extended abutment loops to receive a hammer whereby said coils may be tightened on the longitudinal bar.

2. In a spacing device adapted to secure longitudinal bars to encircling elements, a plurality of spacers each comprising a row of gripping eyes alined with each other longitudinally of the spacer and adapted to receive a longitudinal bar, and a row of spacing elements separating said gripping eyes and formed integral therewith, said spacing elements being provided with loops adapted to receive said encircling elements, all of the parts of each spacer being made of a single piece of wire having at one end a hook and a finger extending tlierefronnand the opposite end being provided with an angular extension adapted to engage the linger and pass through the hook of an adjacent spacer.

8. In a inet-al reenforcement for concrete hereunto affix my signature.l

columns', a reinforcing member in the forni of a spiral, a bar arranged longitudinally of 'said spiral and engagedwith'rthe' inner faces of the coils of lthe spiral, and spacers,

`for said coils, each of said spacerscoinpris-f f ing a single piece of wire formed with a row of `gripping eyes surrounding said barand a row'of spacing elements unitingsaid grip-` ping eyesl said row of spacing elements be` ing arranged longitudinally of .said bar, said gripping eyes being in the form of alternating right and left coils each having at one of its ends a U-shapedloop merging into one lof said spacing elementsand at its opposite end an ext-ended abutment loop merging into another of said yspacingelenient-s, thecoils of saidspiral being located in the U-shaped loops, and the open sides of of said spiralandjengaged with the inner said U-shaped loops beingy closed byv said faces of the coils of vthe spiral, and spacers `for said coils, each of said spacers comprising a single .piece of wireformed with a row l of gripping eyes surrounding one of said` bars and a row of spacing elements uniting said gripping eyes, said row of spacing `ele-v ments being arranged longitudinally of` said.

bar, each of said spacing elements havinggk atone of its endsV an abutment loop merging into one of saidl gripping eyes and a U-` shaped loop at its opposite endmerginginto' and extendingfrom another ofthe grippingy eyes, the coils of said spiral being located. in the Ushaped loops and theopen sides of said U-sh'aped loops being closed by said. i

bar, said gripping eyes being inthe form of alternating right ,andv left coils and the abutment loopsbeing extended from said right and left coils lto receive a tighteningtoolv whereby the right. andL left coils may be i tightened on said bar.y

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I JAMES o. SHEPHERD. Y 

